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Tropical Storm Update

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Over this past weekend, Hurricane Irma had weakened after traveling through the Caribbean, but was still strong enough to cause devastating damage to Key West and most of Florida. As the eyewall traveled up the west coast, it brought record storm surges, very strong winds and even several tornadoes on territories from Key West to the state of Georgia including some parts of South Carolina.

Irma has now been downgraded to a tropical storm which will continue onto the northeast. Some parts of the state are now working on repairs and rescues, but the danger is not over yet. Storm surge warnings remain along the coast. More than 6.5 million homes and businesses have some degree of power outage, over 60% of all of Florida. It may take days or weeks to get power back in some areas.

Florida School for the Deaf and other schools in the area will remain closed until further notice. There have been reports that the city of St. Augustine, where FSDB is located, was hit hard and suffered structural damage along with flooding.

President Trump signed a major disaster declaration for Florida that will give the state and local agencies immediate access to federal funding to help with rescues and repairs.